Team Herald
VALPOI: A large number of Sattari residents held a morcha in front of the Valpoi government hospital on Monday to protest the negligent attitude of the government and health officials towards the monkey fever outbreak in Sattari in the last three months. They also criticized Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar for his “foolish statements” on the issue.
The residents, led by Valpoi MLA Vishwajit Rane, submitted memorandum to the Valpoi Health Officer Dr Surekha Parulekar demanding vaccines within 15 days, failing which they would start a major agitation.
A huge crowd of around 1,000 people, along with Rane, who is a former health minister, rallied in front of the Valpoi Community Health Centre on Monday evening to protest the alleged laxity of the government in taking measures to combat the spread of Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD or Monkey Fever) in the taluka.
The protestors stated that in the last three months, as many as 108 people from Sattari have tested positive for the deadly disease, which took the life of six villagers in the last two year. Around 23 villages of Sattari have been affected by the disease, while around 15 monkeys have died in the last month. However, they claimed, the Forest Department was not properly disposing off the monkey carcasses.
Rane claimed that the government was least bothered about the people of Sattari. He said, “Two-and-a-half months have passed, but still this government has failed to procure vaccines against KFD. We are giving a deadline of 15 days; if the Government fails to vaccinate the villagers, then a mega protest will be held in front of Directorate of Health Services, Panjim. My people are losing their lives and the Chief Minister is making a foolish statement that the people died due to old age. Does that mean you should not take care of old people? What type of insensitive government is this?”
He added, “Health Minister Francis D’Souza has failed to manage the health department. On the floor of the Assembly, he had said that the vaccine would be brought on priority basis within a week, but no sign of the vaccine is seen yet. I felt that Parsekar should have taken the health portfolio, but after reading his statement, I feel even he is a failure. And the Health Minister is only interested in the Regional Plan, not health.”
